"We need to get down to Swillow," Citrus said to Snofall. "Blow on the masts."

Snofall took a deep breath, and blew cold wind on the masts, and the ship spun around. As Citrus mashed buttons, their prison ship lowered. A hand grabbed Snofall's wrist and jerked.

Snofall gasped, and as she tried to yank away, King Talizarin cuffed her to a wooden pole. "Help!" she shouted.

"And here you thought you'd pick off a good hero king?" King Talizarin brandished his staff and laughed. "How about instead of putting you back in the games, I'll just throw you off this ship?"

Snofall spat a ball of ice towards Talizarin, but he jumped up.

Rage filled Citrus' veins as she fell, yellow blood leaking from her nose onto the floor. Attempts to plug the flow with her paw were in vain.

Raising his staff, Talizarin prepared to strike her neck.

Blood blinded her, but Citrus spun around, approximated, and kicked him away. As he staggered, a brief glimpse of vision would return. His grip slackened on the staff, and she jumped up, bit on the staff, and threw it over.

A swarm of peoples flung arrows or spells at Swillow.

Swillow's head pounded. A guard's arrow flew into her shoulder, before she ran him down. Drain the soul, get the health, focus on the next guard. A mantra that ran in her brain.

Wasting went away into thin air, with Hemato, and with the Mage. No one stood with Swillow. Battle roars, screams of horror, and war plans blended into a pot of sound as a smell of metal flooded the land.

Swillow felt alone, for the first time in a while. Just a drifter in a war zone, and she shrunk upon herself, hoping to disappear into nothing.

A guard sighted an arrow on her, and Swillow's eye caught him.

Swillow took a breath, as her legs began to give. A staff fell from the air and hit the guard on the head before he took the shot. "Huh?" Swillow asked, before looking up. Mass of yellow fought against a mass of red.

Unless that ship was a hot dog, Swillow knew it wasn't mustard versus ketchup, but that did sound good later.

Wait, Citrus warred with King Talizarin, along with mayonnaise Snofall. A taking over of the ship, would mean Swillow could be saved. Swillow had to fight on.

Swillow stared at the sea of bodies, and used more flames as she ran down more guards. Guards flung around, while Swillow also hit and knocked over dires.

"Dires and fires, bay bay!" Swillow said as a tease while running.

King Talizarin ran at both, but Citrus dropped in front of him, making him trip. Snofall froze his hands to the floor.

Assassin of the Snow ran over to Snofall and used her claw to pick at the lock, but then her claw broke. Piece of it fell onto the deck as the King smacked the ice on his hands. And the ice shattered.

Snofall and Citrus worked at the cuff, and broke it off.

King Talizarin ran at both.

Assassin of Snow braced, and jumped over King Talizarin as he tried to jump over her. Both hit midair and flipped over but Citrus flipped him onto his back.

Snofall shot a beam at Talizarin and froze him to the floor.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Now, back to the masts," Citrus Snow said and Snofall nodded. Both got to work to lower the ship while keeping it moving.

Swillow saw the ship come pass.

"Run on," Citrus Snow said as Swillow ran aside. With a breath, Swillow jumped onto the ship, and climbed aboard to leave all the dires.

***

King Talizarin's eyes went over the wrecked land, and he said, "What a grand kingdom we have. Must say you ladies did a good job. Bad news is that I'll have quite the relations nightmare ahead."

Swillow snarled, and said, "How about you look us in the face when we're talking about how we're going to kill you?"

"Say, we're being propelled and I assume it's by that Snofall of yours?" King Talizarin asked.

"Yeah," Swillow said with a nod.

"Why is she down with you?"

Swillow was about to say she wasn't, until Swillow saw a lump walking down. "Ah, you, you should be keeping guard, not gallavanting around."

Snofall said, "Or I just set it to autopilot and call it a day."

"Okay," Citrus Snow said, "Knowing about auto pilot would have saved lots of time, and focus but as long as we have it now."

"Give us a break, how are we supposed to study a ship in one minute," Snofall asked.

"Grand," King Talizarin said. "Now, where are we headed?"

"Over the ocean," Citrus Snow said. "After we find Wasting amongst this wreck."

"About that, Wasting was taken by Hemato. Zip! And now he's at the Decay." Swillow paused and said, "Welp."

"Damn," Citrus Snow said as they stared down. "Okay, Snofall, where is this ship set to head?"

"Planned it to head in a circle until we grabbed Wasting, and that seems a while off." Snofall went back up the stairs, but Snow stopped Swillow.

"Wait, Swillow, we're risking all if we rescue him."

Swillow's anger rushed out as she said, "We are not leaving Wasting behind!" Snow took a step back and Swillow brushed aside Snow before heading up.

How could Citrus Snow begin to talk about leaving Wasting behind? Okay, not that Citrus said it but Swillow knew Citrus would leave him behind. Was not fair to Wasting, how could she betray Wasting?

Betray?

A twinge of pain from that word flooded back, but Swillow looked past it as she came up to Snofall.

"Just saying he's dead by now," Citrus Snow said as she came up the stairs. "We're talking about going down by a desert where he's either been killed by hyenas, or by a number of stuff."

Swillow said, "You may think of him as a boyfriend but I know him as a brother, and while he may have done some bad stuff before, we are saving him now. Would you have left either of us?"

As Citrus Snow opened her mouth, Swillow said, "Know the answer already but guess what, Wasting wouldn't have left us." Snow's mouth shut and Swillow took the helm.

Snofall piped up, "Perhaps I should mention I've been to the Decay and did advise Queen Rubay."

Both Citrus and Swillow stared at Snofall.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Citrus said, making both jump back, "and right when I knew not to trust you!"

"Okay, what 'did' did you not hear?" Snofall asked, and stepped up to Citrus Snow, a move that shocked Swillow and Snow both. "You know there are reasons I haven't left yet, and while most of them are because I've been stuck with you lot, the other reason is I've been trying to find myself now."

As both stared at Snofall, Snofall said, "Rubay is an Ascend God too, and her real name is Vycious, as in leader of both packs back in the war against the dragons."

"We're fighting a monster that can't die," Swillow said. "We are risking our lives against someone who won't die."

"And now a new secret reveals itself now that we know Snofall was once in with the foe."

Snofall growled and said, "As if you aren't someone with a lot to hide, like why you picked me and not Swillow!"

"Because Citrus Snow thinks I'm just a pawn," Swillow said. As Citrus Snow glared at both, Swillow asked Citrus Snow, "Say it's true, go ahead, I'll believe you."

"You can try to twist this but I'm getting an atlas and making a plan," Citrus said. She went down and brought up an atlas.

"A small forest exists before the desert to the Decay. And if Wasting is still alive and got away, he'll have to go into this fen, as Decay rests on a peninsula. As Swillow has her issues going on, how about you stay in that fen?"

"Glad I can serve you," Swillow said.

With a claw tracing downwards, "And Snofall and I will walk, with Snofall keeping us from heat stroke."

"Now that trek will last a few days," Snofall said. "Which means by the time we get to the Decay, it will be Winter."

"I don't think that Winter matters much now," Swillow said. "It's not like we're all the way in upper Torn where it's cold as the blazes."

Citrus said, "...Swillow, you do know the blazes is hot, right?"

"Just an expression."

"Anyway," Citrus Snow said, "With that plan, we need to head down. But... Wasting may be dead, so assume the worst has arrived."

Swillow said, "Okay."